


Milk and Honey

by Blackwolf5000



Category: Andromeda Six (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23795137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackwolf5000/pseuds/Blackwolf5000
Summary: I...I honestly don't know what I'm doing or how to write these characters.
Relationships: Calderon Lynch/Traveler, Original Female Character/Traveler, Vexx/Traveler
Kudos: 5





	1. Moments

There is always a moment is someone's life when time seems to stand still, or at the very least slow down, and it is in this moment that they can see the world with a clarity previously incomprehensible. It is defined by the filling of lungs-- deep breaths and shaky exhales-- accompanied by the feather light touches of a cool breeze. It is a moment where one can understand themself and the world, no, _the universe_. In some it invokes hope. Pictures of potential futures arise in hesitant minds. In others it is nothing but cause for sadness; a melancholy that resides deep within one's bones.

But for Brennya it was neither-- or perhaps it was a strange mixture of the two. She felt light and heavy at the same, every emotion there ever was forming a jumbled knot within her chest. Her throat was tight, but whether it was because she was hopeful or her body was trying to stop the tears that were beginning to gather in her eyes she couldn't tell. Her body, her mind, her soul, all of it was threatening to combust into an explosion of...well, she didn't know, and that scared her just as much as it excited her.

In her mind's eye she could see it. She could see a future that laid outside the palace-- outside of any palace. It was a broad future, filled with endless possibilities, where the impossible was possible. There were jungles, and deserts, and...well, there was the simple unknown; oh, how her soul yearned for the unknown. For something whose truth did not lie within a textbook, and whose truth, once discovered, could not so easily be contextualized into one. She wanted questions with no answers; the kind that made her sit in bed all night, tossing and turning, trying to find one anyways. Those were her favorite kind of questions, for the answers, when she reached them--each carefully crafted-- were tiny, intricate things. Her heart threatened to burst as she imagined herself somewhere, out in the galaxy; in places unknown, being the first to find artifacts unseen. Her mind buzzed at the prospect. A puzzle-- one that led to more questions than answers. How delightful would that be? How fulfilling must it be, to sit for hours, trying to find the right words to describe planets, civilizations, and societies. Each sentence would be carefully planned, each word chosen to emphasize a point. No detail could be left out. She would find a way to make everyone understand just how uniquely beautiful everything is.

But she would never actually _do_ any of those things, and it is as that thought enters Brennya's head that her heart, swelling by the second only mere moments ago, collapsed into a shapeless heap within her chest.

No, for now and forever she would simply sit, looking prim and proper within walls that were meters thick, adorned in jewelry made with gold and diamonds. She would never get to go see worlds undiscovered, nonetheless write about them. She'd never get to face her fear as she peered into the unknown. There would be no silent trepidation as she solved puzzles that led to questions with no answers. Her soul would never sing, choosing instead to sit and rot in silence like the dead song of a caged blue jay.


	2. The Coup

The music box in Brennya's hand was cool, a stark contrast to the humid and warm air of the city. She didn't know how she managed to sneak out of the palace without being seen. One moment she was seated next to Arlo and Ven'dela, attempting to ignore one's loud chattering and the other's scornful glares, and the next she was walking out of the doors as everyone waltzed around the room.

It was almost amusing how different this would've been if it had been before Vexx. She would still be standing against the wall politely, or perhaps dancing with a possible suitor despite the night being meant for Sorenn. She supposed that was just how these things went--especially when events such as these were the only times she could leave her wing of the palace. It wasn't like much time was needed for engagements to be arranged, a meeting was more than enough. But then again, marriage wasn't even for them, it was for their parents. Whoever was the highest bidder scored the prize. She would've been so proud to be selected, so proud to be sold off, looking at Nerissa and knowing her marriage--her _alliance_ , would help her in the future. After all, it was her duty.

But now? The only thing she cared about was Vexx. He had gone missing weeks prior, and every question she asked about his whereabouts was met with vague answers or attempts to steer the conversation elsewhere. The guards claimed to not know where he had gone. Nerissa was just as clueless about the whole thing as she was. She had panicked, wondering if something terrible had become of him. Was he injured? Was he punished for the masquerade? But soon it had faded to something else, something threatening to border on apathetic curiosity. Those were foolish things to think, she thought, for who's to say he hadn't simply left her behind? What if he had grown tired of her antics? It seemed a more logical answer than the rest. Perhaps, some part of her thought, he had used her the whole time. That every twinkle in his eye was fake. 

She wanted to hope. She truly did, but sense told her otherwise. Such an inconclusive end was infuriating. It was one she refused to have. So that was why Brennya found herself in common clothes with a cloak around herself, rushing down the streets of the Gold District to try and find...well, she supposed she didn't quite think that far ahead. 

This was stupid. She had never been so short-sighted in her life, why had that changed now? A foolish mistake to be made, one that could've been easily rectified if only she put even a second of forethought into this. How could she be so careless?

She bit her lip, staring up at the stars in the sky as she took refuge in one of the alleys of the city.

She knew exactly how, exactly _why_. 

" _Are you mine, Princess?"_

She startled, squeezing the music box so tightly she was almost scared it would open up and blast music, if not break within her iron grip. She slid it into her pocket. 

His voice. It was still clear as day in her head. Everything about him was. The gentleness in his eyes when he spoke of escaping with her to distant planets, the cocky grin that was on his face whenever he planned a new excursion for the two of them. How calloused his hands were when they fixed the wrinkles in her dress...she shivered. 

She had to find Vexx, if it was, for the very least, closure. And if it wasn't...maybe...just _maybe_ they could both just--

There was the sound of something popping off, and then the noise of lasers. It was faint, barely audible. If it had been just that perhaps Brennya would've been able to ignore it, but then there was the sound of distant muffled screaming beyond the sound of the nearby fountains. The noises made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, fear threatening to take hold as she stood up straight, straining to hear more of the sound. 

Brennya always knew she was sheltered. It was a painstakingly obvious fact that upsetted her to no end. But in this moment, with her body already preparing to enter fight or flight, she felt justified in her concern. There were screams echoing in countless galaxies, planets, and nearby cities. But there were not these types of screams in the Gold District. 

A flare flied into the sky, and for a moment Brennya was foolish enough to think it was a firework-- but when it did not explode she followed its smoke trail back to the palace. Flashing gunfire filled the windows. She didn't have time to feel sad. She didn't have time to even feel shock, because soon enough there were screams that were far more closer than the ones in the palace. There were explosions, and shouts of joy, blasters going off close enough that Brennya flinched. 

_Calm down_. Panicking would be useless, she knew that much. Being in the palace and being raised as a Peg'asi taught her many things, and perhaps the most useful being to keep on a mask and _keep calm_. 

The only logical conclusion she could reach was a rebellion, a coup of some sort, that had somehow managed to infiltrate the palace. She highly doubted any Gold District citizens would be involved in such a thing, and even if they were, they wouldn't be involved in the current bloodshed. Their strength lied in deceits and law suits, not murder. That at least meant whatever was going on was outside the walls in the Silver District. Her feet began to move on their own, carrying her through the city. There was almost no one out, and she supposed most of the Gold District citizens were most likely in the palace, which meant they were most likely...

_Dead._

Fire clambered up the walls, climbing so high into the air that Brennya was almost convinced it was daytime. The heat that came off to them licked at her skin despite the distance she put between herself and the dancing flames, rushing to one of the back exits of the city. The screams were getting louder, and with an explosion that nearly forced Brennya off of her feat she knew the gate into the current district was blown down. There was no time for panic to take hold, her brain running through the motions of getting out. If the back exit was surrounded, which it most likely was considering how well conducted everything about this was...she came to a stop. 

There was no back exit to even run to. It was collapsed, and what little of it remained was...

_So this is how I die?_

She sat on the stone walls of the bridge, sticking her hand in her pocket to toy with the music box. _Nerissa_...

Brennya looked over her shoulder back at the palace as people came running through the district. Most were normal citizens covered in wounds or soot, screaming as they uselessly ran in circles. Others were nobles rushing out of their mansions, clutching wounds in their sides as they hobbled about. Would Nerissa survive? She shook her head. She knew the answer well enough--the palace was now completely dark except for the joyful shouts of those on the rooftops, shooting off the fireworks reserved for the end of the party. 

A hiss of pain escaped her as someone shouldered her, forcing her onto the ground. She pushed herself against the bridge wall to avoid the trampling feet, struggling to try to rise as people in the crowd began to fall with each ringing pop of a gun going off. Colored lasers sailed through the air, cutting into people's shoulders and heads, the scent of burnt flesh filling the air.

Brennya wasn't even aware of how hard she was breathing until now, tears filling her eyes unknowingly. 

_Closer...they were getting closer--_

The stone bridge rumbled, and there was a flash of red and orange and the feeling of burning flesh before everything went black.


End file.
